Cinematic Love Record
by mrsmiawallace88
Summary: "Bringing your emotions into your job is a waste of time." It was William's mantra which he tought every new student on their first day in the office. He lived like that for a long time. Until the day came when wasting time became his favorite thing to do. [William T. Spears x fOC slowmance]
1. Only just a dream?

It was the beginning of October and the trees began to put on their colorful coat. A burst of red and gold and brown illuminated by the sun lured the people of London into the parks to celebrate the golden season.

Children were chasing each other across the great lawn of Hyde Park; some pretended to be knights using sticks as their swords while others fought their battles in the sky with their pretty kites. It was quite a lovely, lively afternoon and for Emma it was the perfect time to enjoy a good book on one of the many benches in the park.

"Dino, Zeus—sit," she said to her two Doberman dogs and lowered down on the bench under an oaken tree. The dogs sat down to both of her sides while she stroked over her fawn colored, lightly ruffled skirt that reached down to her ankles, only revealing a pair of black, heeled boots. Her emerald green open bust tailcoat shimmered in the autumn afternoon sun and a soft breeze played with her scarf that was covering her bust a bit. She tucked her long, blonde hair behind one of her ears and sighed contently as she opened her book.

Her dogs were highly concentrated, ears sharp and pointed as they eyed everyone carefully who dared to walk past them. "You're good boys," Emma said with a smile and patted their heads. Suddenly they growled as a shadow fell over them. Emma looked up.

"I mean no harm," a mid-aged woman said with a warm smile. "I just wanted to ask if this spot is still free?" she pointed at the bench. Emma nodded and signaled her to sit down if she liked. She gave Dino and Zeus each a treat and leaned back again.

"I have to apologize for them, but they are quite protective of me," she said. "My parents gave them to me as a gift five years ago when I turned fifteen. They said a young lady needs more than her father to protect her," she chuckled. "This is Zeus, and this is Dino. And my name is Emma," she introduced her dogs and herself with a smile and offered her hand at the other woman.

"Amanda. It's a pleasure to meet you," they shook hands. "What book are you reading?" she pointed at the open book in Emma's lap.

"This? Oh, I just bought it this morning. It's called _The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood_. It's basically about an outlaw who takes from the rich and gives to the poor. Even though he steals from the rich, and I know stealing is a crime, but he's doing it for a good reason. He doesn't take it for selfish reasons to fill his own pocket. He does it to feed the poor. It's a good deed, don't you think?"

"It is, indeed. So, you enjoy reading books?"

"It's one of my favorite things to do besides taking long walks with my dogs," she replied and blushed lightly. "I sound quite boring, right?"

"No! Not the slightest. Books are my favorite things, too. That's why I own a book shop," she winked at her with a cheeky grin.

"You really do? That's wonderful! Where is it? Maybe I could pay a visit later," Emma said; her amber colored eyes sparkled a little in excitement.

"It's in Horbury Street in Chelsea. You should really give it a try. I sell a lot of nice books about adventures and romance. I'm certain you will enjoy it. The shop is called _McMillan Books_. My name is Amanda McMillan. I wish we could talk a bit more, you seem like a friendly, lively young lady, but unfortunately I have to leave for a meeting with a new author. He wants to sell his books in my shop. Wait, I'll write the address down for you in case you decide to visit it," she tore a piece of paper out of her notebook and scribbled down her name and the address. "Have a nice day with your dogs and Robin Hood," she smiled and handed her the note and got up. The dogs looked up and sniffed at her hand. "Do you think I can pet them?"

"Go ahead," Emma said and Amanda reached for their heads and scratched their ears for a moment.

"Well, I have to hurry now. See you soon," she waved at Emma and left, heading down the path leading to the busy street.

* * *

><p>Darkness slowly wrapped the city in its blanket while more and more of the shops closed for the night. High above the streets of London, a man stood on a roof with a looking glass, observing the street below. A soft breeze played with his short, dark-brown hair that was neatly combed back. He lowered the looking glass and adjusted his rectangle-shaped glasses.<p>

He opened his notebook and flipped through the pages with his hands dressed in black leather gloves. "There she is," he mumbled; his green-yellow eyes scanned the page intently. "Amanda McMillan; born in London in 1847. She's a book shop owner and active donator for poor children. Date and time of death: 13th October 1889, 7pm. Cause of death: Hit by a carriage. This sounds like an easy job. She clearly has nothing important to offer to mankind. Finally, no overtime for me."

He closed the notebook and revealed a pruner; it was his death scythe. He sighed and stepped closer to the edge of the roof and lifted the looking glass back to his eyes and watched the mid-aged woman locking the door of her shop. He checked his pocket watch. "It is time," he mumbled and adjusted his glasses, preparing to reap her soul before a filthy demon would get the chance to eat her soul.

"Emma? Hello, Emma!" Amanda called as she spotted the blonde girl on the other side of the street. Zeus and Dino looked over and barked at her. Emma smiled brightly. "I see it's already too late for a visit, right?" she called and was about to cross the street, but her dogs stopped her as a carriage passed by.

"Wait, I'll be right there!" Amanda called and stepped out onto the street. She was halfway across the road when the sound of whickering horses filled the air. Emma looked down the street, her eyes widened as she saw the carriage heading straight towards the other woman.

"Look out!" she called, dropped the leashes and ran onto the street. But it was too late. The carriage couldn't stop anymore. A sharp pain drove through Emma's body that shielded Amanda's a bit, but to no avail. A puddle of blood flowed out of Amanda's head. "A—manda?" she breathed and shook her lightly, but the woman didn't move. Emma choked and coughed, a spray of blood covered her hand and with horror she realized it was her own blood. Her vision became blurrier with each passing second. She felt the wet tongues of her dogs on her face. She reached for them. "Dino—Zeus—"she breathed and moved no more.

"Honestly, what is this mess?" Will grumbled annoyed as he approached the two dead women on the street. He looked around and saw that the carriage driver had left without even caring what he had done. Two dogs were guarding the bodies, growling and snapping at him. "Be quiet," he hissed. The dogs yelped in fear and retreated a bit. Will rammed his scythe into Amanda's chest and absorbed her soul. There was no need to check her Cinematic Record for he had made his decision a while ago. Once he was done with her he knelt down and carefully observed the record that was flowing out of the blonde woman's back for she was lying on her stomach half covering Amanda. He frowned. This was not according to the plan. This was not supposed to happen at all. This young woman had interfered in the plan of Death. A minute earlier and she might have saved the other woman's life. But instead she lost her own as well. Her record showed a sweet little girl playing in a large garden, probably of an upper-class mansion. She was not a poor girl, he could tell of her clothing. Another scene showed her sitting in a big, neatly furnished dining hall in front of a cake showing fifteen tiny candles on top. _Happy Birthday, Emma_ was written with frosting on the cake. A basket covered with a cloth was placed in front of her by her parents. She lifted the cloth and smiled brightly upon seeing two Doberman pups looking up at her, wagging their docked tails.

Will unglued his eyes from the record for a moment and looked over at the dogs. They eyed him suspiciously and with respect and a little bit fear. He sighed and continued with the record. "This is why you did this—"he mumbled and looked down at her. "Honestly, you don't deserve to die. You were not even part of this at all," he got up. The record flowed back into her body and he closed her wound. He stepped away from her and adjusted his glasses. He was about to leave when he saw the dogs shifting closer to their owner's body, nudging her, trying to animate her to wake up again. Voices drew closer and it was a decision right out of the moment as he knelt down again, picked her up and carried her into the next alley, the dogs following him. Once he was certain no one would see him, he stopped and lowered her on the ground again.

Slowly, Emma regained her consciousness. She groaned quietly and opened her eyes. At first it was still a bit blurry, but after blinking multiple times, her eyes got used to the dimly lighted alley. She sat up slowly and rubbed her forehead. She groaned again but chuckled weakly as the dogs started licking her face, wagging their backsides just like Will had seen in her record when those two were still little puppies. After he had seen what happened in her life just one year after her fifteenth birthday, he now understood that these two were the only family she had anymore.

Was it pity that made him decide to let her live?

He cleared his throat. "Honestly, you should never jump in front of a driving carriage."

She winced and looked up, having not noticed the presence of him up until that moment. Her amber eyes met his bespectacled green ones. "Wh-who are you?" she mumbled confused. "And where am I"?

"My name is William T. Spears and you are in an alley not far from the place you died," he said monotonously.

She frowned and stared at him quite confused. "I died?"

"Yes. Honestly, I do not know if it was brave or simply foolish what you did, but Amanda McMillan is dead. There was no way to save her life, no matter what," he adjusted his glasses. "You, on the other hand, were not supposed to die today. That is why I brought you back."

The images of the carriage and Amanda's lifeless body flooded Emma's mind again as she remembered what had just happened moments ago. "She—is dead? I couldn't safe her?"

"Like I said—no."

"But what do you mean you brought me back? I still don't understand who you are."

He turned away from her and hid his scythe again under his suit jacket. "That doesn't matter anymore. My job is done and I am not willing to risk overtime just to answer your questions. You are alive, be thankful for that. Now excuse me, I have to return to my office," he left and vanished in the darkness. Emma scratched her dog's ears and stared after him even though she couldn't see him anymore.

"This was only a bad dream, right?" she mumbled to Zeus and pushed herself up again. "Come, we go home, boys. And tomorrow, I will wake up and nothing of this ever happened," she took their leashed and headed into the opposite direction, pretending there had been no accident at all. She didn't look back.

'_Just a dream. It was just a dream. And tomorrow I will visit Amanda in her bookshop,'_ she repeated over and over in her mind until she finally reached her home and snuggled into her bed. Zeus and Dino jumped onto her bed as well and guarded her, protected her as best as they could. Soon Emma was deeply asleep, her body exhausted from the events.

While Emma was already in the land of dreams, Will returned to the Grim Reaper Dispatch headquarter and stamped the file of Amanda McMillan. He checked his pocket watch and sighed heavily. "Thank you, Emma Godwin. Now I worked overtime again," he grumbled and locked his office. At least, everyone else was gone already and so no one could keep him off from returning to his apartment.

Once he reached his apartment not far from headquarter, he put his suit off and changed his shirt. It had been a long day again and his shift would start at six in the morning. He washed his face and stared at the reflection in the mirror for a while until he decided to get some rest. He dimmed the lights in his bedroom and lowered down on his bed. A full moon sent its bright light through the window of the room. Will stared at the ceiling for a long while, his mind still circling around the events this evening.

A pair of amber coloured eyes appeared in front of his inner eye. He shook his head and grumbled. He would not let it happen that he wasted time thinking about unnecessary things. He needed his rest and so he closed his eyes and fought down the images of the young human girl forming on his mind.

"_Bringing your emotions into your job is a waste of time," _he thought before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>So, this is my new Kuroshitsuji story. It is a WilliamxOC slowmance and I hope you enjoyed this little intro chapter. I thought William deserves some love, too after my quite successful SebastianxOC story "The Butler and the Maid" (which you also find here).<strong>

**I admit, I am a hopeless romantic and so it might happen that Will turns out to be a bit OOC sometime, but I try and stick to his original self as best and long as I can (mainly to make this a slowmance^^). **

**For those of you interested in Emma's clothing in this chapter, I was inspired by this: ww w . ste ampu nkcou ture for sale / c / 20 14 / eme rald – gre en – op en – bu st – tai lcoat -2 94 /**

**If you liked this chapter, please feel free to leave a review or you can also write me a PM. I will be happy for every kind of (positive) feedback, but also for constructive criticism (putting the emphasis on **_**constructive) **_

**Thank you for reading and I try to update as soon as possible again! PS: You can also leave ideas for this story in the review or PM section **


	2. Broken Soul

Just like every day, William was the first to show up at work. This day he actually was one hour too early. On purpose though, because he still had to write a detailed report of last evening's event.

He entered his office and sat down behind his desk, adjusting his glasses before he took the file and a blank piece of paper. He started writing and suddenly stopped once he reached the part everything went a bit out of plan. He set the pen down and sighed heavily. Should he really mention the involvement of Emma Godwin? What would that mean for her? He hadn't revealed his true identity to her though except his name.

"Now look at that. Will, you are once again the first at work. I like that," Grell suddenly stood in the doorway with a brought grin on his face.

William rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Grell? I suppose you have work to do."

"That can wait," he chuckled and approached the desk and sat down on the edge of it. With a flirty smile he pushed his flaming red hair back and snatched the report from the desk. "I ask myself why you came in earlier to write this instead of doing it after work last night."

He grumbled and snatched the paper out of the other shinigami's hand. "You know full well that I hate working overtime and that's why I decided to write this now and start with these," he patted onto his notebook which was filled with more cases of souls he had to reap this day. "So, get out of my office before I make you a head shorter."

"I like it when you're so rough, Will," Grell chuckled and went to the door. "Have fun today," he winked cheekily and left the office. Will sighed and rubbed his temples. He should just forget what happened last night and continue with his job. And that's what he was doing. He left his office and returned to the human realm.

* * *

><p>A pair of wet tongues slurped through her face and made her grumble and giggle at the same time when Emma opened her eyes slowly, pushing her dogs away. "I'm awake, I'm awake. I just want five more minutes—"<p>

Dino huffed, grabbed the blanket and pulled it off her while Zeus howled like a wolf. "You two are idiots, I hope you know that," she groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching a bit. "How late is it anyway?" she mumbled and grabbed the watch from her night table. "Seven? Are you kidding me?"

She looked into their dark eyes, both giving their best puppy looks even though they were already grown dogs. "You mastered that looks perfectly. Fine, I know you are hungry and need to take a walk. Can I at least have my breakfast first?"

Reluctantly she got out of bed and dressed herself. Once she was dressed, washed and combed, she headed downstairs to the kitchen. Her dogs watched her expectantly and with wagging tails. "Yes, you'll get your breakfast first," she filled their bowls with fresh water and cut the meat for them which she stored in her fridge. "There you go," she placed it on the ground and went to prepare some yogurt with oats and fresh fruit, a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table. "Oh, you got me the paper already, thank you boys," she chuckled and grabbed the paper from the chair. As she took a spoonful of her breakfast, she suddenly froze and stared at the paper. "That's impossible—"she breathed and read the article about Amanda McMillan, well known donator and bookshop owner, being killed last night by a carriage. Emma dropped the paper and leaned back. It had not been a dream? Everything really happened? The carriage—Amanda's death—her own death. And then there was still the mysterious stranger who told her he had saved her life. No, he had said _brought back to life._

"What's the meaning of all this?" she mumbled confused and pushed the bowl aside and just drowned her juice. "Dino, Zeus—I need fresh air. Let's go."

* * *

><p>It was barely ten in the morning, but the streets where already busy. William sat on a bench across a bakery, waiting for the death of a young man which would happen in about half an hour. He had no idea why he came so much earlier just to stare from his notebook to his watch to the bakery and back again even though he knew that nothing would be happening until it was time for Mark Chapman to be robbed and killed in the alley next to the bakery.<p>

He sighed and got up once he decided it would be best to wait on one of the roofs. Suddenly he slumped back down onto the bench when he spotted the young woman and her dogs walking down the road, heading to the bakery.

"Honestly, what are you doing here?" he grumbled. "You're not going to intervene again," he got up and approached her. "Miss Godwin, I do believe it is best you walk another way."

Emma stopped and stared at him confused. "You? Are you following me?"

"No, but I could ask you the same. Your timing is simply not the best," he adjusted his glasses and cast a glance down at the two dogs who eyed him suspiciously. "Maybe you should take your dogs to the park."

"But I'm hungry and would like to buy something at the bakery. I didn't have a proper breakfast after I read the newspaper and saw that Amanda is really dead."

"Of course, she is dead. I told you so last night. And now it's to your own safety that you leave this area."

"But why?" she shifted from one foot on the other. "Who are you to give me orders, anyway?"

"My name is—"

"I know your name, you fool! I want to know what makes you think you can tell me to leave?"

"I am just doing my job and I prefer no complications. Last night was tricky enough. And believe me, there is nothing I hate more than work overtime."

She huffed and walked past him. "I don't know you and you don't know me and therefore—"

"I know more about you than you might think, Emma Godwin. Zeus and Dino seem to respect me more than you do," he looked at her with a stern face as she turned to look at him surprised.

"How do you know my name and the names of my dogs? Are you a psychopath? A stalker? Are you going to kill me if I won't obey to your orders?"

"Honestly, I am just a reaper doing his job," there it was again, the adjusting of his glasses. Emma had noticed that strange habit even in that short time they knew each other. Knew each other? She shook her head and lowered her eyes. She didn't know him. But how was it possible that he knew so much about her? _Wait! Did he say reaper?_

She looked back up at him, his face still expressionless. She tightened the grip of the leashes and stepped closer. "You are telling me that you are a reaper? Like—a grim reaper? A god of death?"

"It seems you know more about it than I thought. Not many humans even know that we exist, nor what we are called," he replied and fumbled at his glasses again and brushed his hair back. "I am truly impressed." And that was true. He couldn't deny it. He still couldn't say though if she believed him or what she was thinking at all. And actually he shouldn't even care about it. He sighed heavily and checked his pocket watch. "I give you five minutes to get something from the bakery and leave this area. Deal?"

She pondered over his words, uncertain if anything he had said was true. Why would a reaper reveal that he _is_ one of those creatures? Creatures? He was not a _creature_. He looked more like a lawyer. She smiled and pushed the leashes into his hands. "Fine, I'll go get me a snack and you'll wait here and take care of my dogs. Dino, Zeus—stay here."

Will stared after her as she headed to the bakery and vanished into the shop. He looked down at the dogs and sighed heavily. "Your owner is quite a strange lady."

Dino huffed as if he was agreeing.

"I can't believe I am doing this," he grumbled when suddenly the dogs pulled at the leashes. They caught him quite off guard and pulled him to a nearby tree. They lifted their legs and peed against it. William groaned and cast a glance around, desperately hoping none of his colleagues would see him, but much to his relief he couldn't sense any other reaper nearby at the moment. "Now I have to play dogsitter? Honestly, this ranks on top of the worst days at work right now," he mumbled half to the dogs and half to himself.

Emma returned with a bag full of scones. "Want one? See it as payment for taking care of my dogs," she chuckled and took the leashes from him. "Did they behave well?"

"Perfectly well. And no, thanks, I don't like these," he gestured at the scones. "And I don't want money or any other earthly good. I just want that you leave now, please."

"Will there be some murder today?" she asked curiously and took a bite from a scone, watching him expectantly as if he would reveal any information to her.

"I am not in the mood to discuss my work with you now."

She shrugged. "I just asked. Didn't mean I expected a proper answer."

"Fine."

"Yes."

She split a scone in half and fed her dogs with it while William watched her silently. His mind was flooded with confusion, anger, frustration—and curiosity. This young woman had an effect on him in some way he couldn't describe. She infuriated him. Yes, that was it. He would like to grab her and shake her and tell her to leave. But why would he even care if she witnessed the murder today? He should not care about her feelings. Which he didn't. Not the slightest. He sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose, adjusted his glasses and checked the time again.

"Yes, yes, I understand. You want to be alone when you _reap_ the soul. Is that what you call it? Reap a soul?" she asked with half a smile. Emma couldn't say what it was, but part of her believed that he spoke the truth. What else could he have meant last night when he said he had brought her back to life? Of course, there was still a small voice inside her mind telling her he was just a freak. A quite odd, confusing freak.

"Honestly, I wouldn't care what you witness today or what you would've witnessed last night. What bothers me is that you intervened. And I cannot risk that you intervene again and try to play the hero to rescue a man whose time is over, who deserves to die. Stopping the plans of death—no human being should try that."

She nodded silently. "I know. I was never able to prevent these things—nor will I ever be," she mumbled and pulled at the leashes, signaling her dogs she wanted to leave. "Goodbye, Mister Spears."

He watched her leave down the road. While the sound of a dying man in the alley behind him reached his ears, he thought about her Cinematic Record again. She had tried to safe two lives once—and had failed. No wonder she tried it whenever there was a chance. She was seeking for absolution and forgiveness. She played the tough young woman with her two fearsome looking dogs while in truth, and that was the reason why he had let her live, she was just a broken soul.

"Pull yourself together, Spears," he grumbled, adjusted his glasses and turned to finish his work.

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><p><strong>Yay, I finally made it to update! Hope you enjoyed this little chapter! If so, please leave a review <strong>


	3. Comforting Night

**The story continues :) Took a bit longer than intended, because my laptop broke last week and I just now found time to buy a new. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

><p>The western sky was pink and golden near the horizon and dark grey higher up as the light of day was fading.<p>

Will stood on a roof overlooking the city of London. He had no idea why he still lingered in the human realm. He checked his pocket-watch which showed him it was already seven in the evening. Normally, that would be considered as overtime, but he had finished his work three hours ago and so to him this was not a classical overtime at all.

He couldn't really say what exactly it was, but something deep inside him gave him the feeling that he should stay right there on this particular roof.

"This is ridiculous. I should go home," he grumbled and adjusted his glasses. He was just about to leave when suddenly he stopped and stared at the house on the opposite side of the road.

Right there, behind the window on the top left of the building, he saw her. Emma. Dressed only in her white undergarment. Her long, blonde hair tumbled gracefully over her shoulders and down to the middle of her spine.

Will cleared his throat and turned away; a light blush crept up to his cheeks. "You fool! Leave this forsaken place!" he chided himself and sighed heavily as he cast another glance over his shoulder just to find the curtains closed. Only her shadow danced behind the lilac curtains. Will lingered a moment until the light in the room was dimmed and her shadow vanished.

After another long moment, he finally left the roof and returned to his realm. Instead of stopping by the headquarter, he immediately went to his apartment, locked the door and was glad that he hadn't met any other reaper on his way home. Grell had no problem to work longer than necessary and it seemed he was still out in the human realm doing his job—or stalking some particular demon.

And the youngster, Ronald Knox, was just as annoying and he had no nerve for him right now either. The young reaper often tried to convince him that he'd need some time to relax and invited him to parties or to hang around a pub in the other realm. Will never went to any of those social gatherings and he was more than fine with being alone.

He went to his bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Did he really just spy on that annoying human girl? No, he had not spied on her. He hadn't even known that she lived there. Or did he?

He splashed cold water in his face and put his glasses back onto his nose. As he dropped on his bed he remembered the feeling he had had earlier. That feeling that had told him to stay on that certain roof. Did his mind play a trick on him? To confuse his mind?

Will sighed and decided it had just been a silly coincidence. He put the light out, closed his eyes and saw Emma's shadow dancing before his inner eye over and over again until finally his mind shut down to sleep.

* * *

><p>It was seven in the evening and Emma had just returned from her evening walk with her dogs. While Dino and Zeus already settled in her bedroom, she decided to take a hot bath. Even though her day had not been very stressful she felt quite exhausted and her mind was still troubled from her conversation with that stranger who had introduced himself as a reaper.<p>

William T. Spears.

A light smile curled her lips as she lit a few candles and stripped out of her dress. Suddenly she felt the small hairs on the back of her neck prickling and it was to her as if someone was watching her. She turned and looked out of the window, but there was no one to be seen in the dim light of the evening. She shrugged and closed the curtains before she dropped the rest of her clothes. She dimmed the light of the oil lamp on the table and slid into the warm water which she had scented with lavender oil. The warmth of the water made her skin prickle lightly and she relaxed more and more with every passing minute. She closed her eyes and sighed contently.

_The scent of cinnamon hung in the air as she woke up in the morning of her fifteenth birthday. She knew her father had a very special present for her. He had teased her the entire week with it, but still she couldn't quite imagine what it would be. With excitement fluttering in her chest she jumped out of her bed, quickly dressed in the light blue dress her mother had put out for her the evening before and went to the bath to get washed and combed her hair. _

_Once she was done she headed downstairs and was immediately greeted by her mother in the dining room. _

"_My sweet darling, come here," she pulled Emma closer and pressed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Happy birthday to you." _

"_Thank you, mother," Emma smiled brightly and turned to inspect the pretty cake on the table. Fifteen candles were flickering on top and in white frosting she read 'Happy Birthday Emma'. She sat down and brushed her hands over her dress. "This looks delicious," she said and looked up as her father entered the room. He carried a basket which was covered with a lilac cloth. _

"_Is that my present, father?" she asked and giggled as he placed it in front of her and kissed her cheek. _

"_It is and you should open it quickly," he stepped back and placed his arm around his wife. They both watched her lifting the cloth and laughed as Emma squealed happily._

"_They are for me? Both?" _

"_Yes, darling. A young lady needs more than her father to protect her," Charles said. "They are siblings. Two boys." _

_Carefully, Emma lifted both puppies out of the basket and placed them on her lap. The little dogs barked with their squeaky voices and snuggled against her. "I will name this one—Dino. And this will be—hmm—Zeus," she said and placed kisses on their heads. _

Emma opened her eyes, feeling that the water in the tub had grown a bit colder. She climbed out of the tub, rubbed her skin dry and slipped into her night gown. Even though her hair was partly wet, she decided to go to sleep. She slipped under her warm blanket and shifted closer to Dino. The warmth of his body soon made her drift to sleep again. But her dreams that night were more than horrendous and more than once she woke up covered in sweat.

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><p>Tossing and turning, Will finally gave up to find any sleep that night. He sighed and got up, checked the time and groaned. It was barely three in the morning. His shift would begin in three hours and yet he didn't feel the urge to go to the office at an hour like this. Something else filled his mind. Something else was trying to lure him away from his apartment. Away from his realm.<p>

He adjusted his glasses, left his apartment and—bumped into Grell.

"Oh, Will my darling. Why are you wandering around at night? Came to visit me?" the red-haired reaper said with a cheeky grin and was about to snuggle against the older man's chest but Will had seen that coming and stepped aside which cause the other to drop to the ground. "Ouh, that was not nice," he exclaimed and rubbed his nose as he staggered back to his feet. "Fine, serious now. Where are you going?"

"Honestly, that's none of your business. Shouldn't you try get some sleep? I bet stalking demons can be quite exhausting," Will replied calmly and headed down the hallway.

"And what demon are you struggling with, Will-darling?" Grell called but Will had already vanished.

The night was cold and the wind tugged at his black suit while Will wandered through the streets of London. Something he had never done before, being in the human realm in the middle of the night without an official order. And yet it felt right to him. This was the place his feeling had lured him to. After a while he stopped and looked up at the sky, the full moon hung high up above him and just now he recognized the building he was standing in front of.

„What am I doing here again? Maybe I should have let her die and be rid of her," he grumbled, adjusted his glasses and jumped up to the windowsill of her bedroom. He felt her presence inside and knew immediately that she was in quite a miserable mood. He sighed and pushed the window open.

_Grrr_

The dogs. He had completely forgotten about the dogs. Dino had lifted his head from the bed while Zeus had jumped down and glared at the intruder. Will lifted his hands and looked Zeus straight in the eye until the dog whimpered a little and retreated. "Good dog," Will whispered and approached the bed. Emma lay on her stomach, one arm hung over the edge of her bed, her mouth lightly open while she mumbled incoherently.

Suddenly she jerked and turned around, sweat covered her forehead. Will towered over her, uncertain what he was doing there at all. He was just about to leave when she woke up with a start. Dino grumbled quietly, eyes fixed onto Will. Emma looked up and squeaked in panic.

"Wh-who are you? What do you want? I have nothing! Really, I don't-"

"Be quiet," he grumbled and stepped more into the light of the moon shining through the window. His glasses reflected the light a bit. Emma sat up, one arm around Dino, aware that Zeus was sitting at the end of her bed.

"Why are you here? Is it my time now?"

"No, it isn't. And I have no idea why I am here. I shouldn't have come, I apologize for startling you," Will turned towards the window again but Emma quickly slid out of her bed and stepped closer.

"Wait—you just climbed through my window in the middle of the night. There has to be a reason," she carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. Will stopped and turned around again. Her hair shimmered brightly in the silvery light of the moon. He gulped and fumbled with his glasses.

"You crossed my way quite a lot in the past days. I never experienced something like that before and it—it unsettles me. But that should not be your concern. It seems you have your own problems."

She nodded silently and stepped back. Will watched her intently, waiting for her to reply. Finally she sighed and lowered on the edge of her bed. Zeus and Dino shifted closer to her and she began to scratch their ears thoughtfully. "I haven't thought about my parents for a long time. I mean—not in this way. The way they—tonight I dreamed of the day they died and-" her voice was on the edge of breaking. "I didn't mean to—it's all my fault," she buried her face in her hands. It was true, she had not dreamed about this horrific day in a long time but this night, her mind was invaded by these images. "There was—so much blood," she sniffed.

Will sighed and sat down next to her. "I know what happened."

"What?" she looked at him quite shocked.

"Your Cinematic Record? I saw it. I saw what happened and I decided to let you live. But I did not decide that way because of punishment. You are one of the few humans I have met in my life who deserve to live because they are actually good. It was not your fault what happened to your parents."

She brushed the tears from her face and smile lightly. "You think I'm a good person?"

He adjusted his glasses. "For a human."

Emma chuckled lightly and pinched his arm. "Thank you, charmer."

"I should leave now. My shift starts soon," he got up. "Good night, Miss Godwin," he was halfway out of the window when he heard her voice again, making him stop a moment.

"Mister Spears?"

"Yes?"

"Will I see you again?" she asked almost shyly and Will knew if he would turn and look at her he would find her blushing. He cleared his throat and nodded lightly.

"Yes—I'll come see you again," he said and left her.

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><p><strong>Not entirely certain about the quality of this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it. :) <strong>


	4. Take me to church

The air smelled of rain even before it had finally started to rain. Dark clouds hung above the city and people hurried along the streets, trying to find a warm, dry place to protect themselves from the falling raindrops.

While many of them stayed inside of the shops or their flats, Emma walked silently along the street; Dino and Zeus to both of her sides. The soft breeze had turned into a more intense wind, tugging at her clothes and making her way a bit more difficult, but she walked on. There was no turning back for her on this day. Not just because her dogs needed their walks. This walk was the hardest. Each year she made it. Each year, on the first of November, she took the road to the cemetery.

Mud squeezed beneath her boots as she walked along the path, flanked by tombstones, until she finally stopped in front of a grave at the end of the path. Thoughtfully she looked down at the marbled stone, raindrops running along it like tears.

"Mother—father—," she mumbled and bent down, placed two roses onto the grave and brushed a single tear from her face. "I miss you both so much. After all these years—I can still feel the pain. I wish you could be here now. Just like the happy family we have been before—before—I am so sorry—"

Dino nudged her hand almost comfortingly which made her smile lightly. "They are taking care of me. I am so thankful to have these dogs. They remind me of you every day. So protective—so strong—so full of love."

She sighed heavily, dropped onto her knees without caring about the dirt and mud covering her dress and cried.

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><p>William returned from his boss' office with a bunch of new souls to reap this day. He sighed heavily and placed the files onto his desk. Those were by far too much for one reaper in one day. This would take him at least two days with lots of overtime. He looked up upon hearing a knock at the door.<p>

"Knox—at least you know how to make a proper entrance. What is it?" he asked and fumbled with his glasses, signaling the younger reaper to enter the office.

"Was just asking if you join us for the party tonight? I'm sure you could need some relaxing-"

"Do I look like I have time for your silly parties, Knox?" he grumbled and pointed at the files. "Maybe I should give some of those to you instead?"

Just as he had assumed, the young reaper was out of the door faster than a rabbit pursued by hunting dogs. William rolled his eyes, took the files and checked the time. That was when he cast a glance on the date. He frowned and stared down at the calendar for a moment before he left his office and the reaper realm—leaving the pile of files behind.

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><p>He had promised to come back. Emma was sitting in the small church near the graveyard, finally decided to seek protection from the rain. Her dress was ruined with mud, but she didn't care. All she could think of in this very moment was that stranger—the man who claimed to be a reaper. William T. Spears. And he had promised her to come back to her—but right now, in the moment she needed the most comfort, he was not with her. And he hadn't returned to her. Not now, not the days and weeks before.<p>

"He won't come back—at least, not to me," she mumbled and scratched Dino's ear thoughtfully. "No one ever came back to me."

She looked up in surprise when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at the friendly face of an elderly priest. He smiled comfortingly and shifted around to properly look at her.

"What is troubling your mind, child?" he asked and sat down next to her. Emma fumbled with a handkerchief and looked at him uncertainly. She had never thought about talking to a priest about the heavy weigh on her chest.

"Today is the day—that I lost my parents five years ago. I come here every year since then, but I never set foot into this church before. I apologize if I ruin your furniture," she looked down at her wet, muddy dress.

"Do not worry, dear child. The halls of god are open for everyone. And he is not picky with his furniture," he winked and smiled at her and much to her relief, this really comforted her a lot. "May I ask what happened to your parents?" he then asked and crushed all her comfort again, even though he didn't seem to realize it. It was his job, after all, to give comfort to anyone seeking the tranquility of that place. And yet—Emma did not know if she was ready to speak about what happened all those years ago. Much more—she wasn't certain if she would be ready to speak about it with a complete stranger. But who else should she talk to? Her only friends had turned their backs on her or moved for their educational career. She only had her dogs and even though they always listened to her, it was not the same as talking to a friend who could comfort her with actual words.

She sighed heavily and was just about to start, when suddenly the heavy wooden doors opened. A gush of wind whistled along the aisle before the doors fell shut again. Emma and the priest turned their heads in surprise and Emma smiled lightly upon seeing William approaching her. He fumbled with his glasses and finally stopped in front of them.

"You came—"she breathed and saw out of the corner of her eyes that the priest got up and retreated as if sensing they needed time for themselves. She got up and looked into his green eyes for a moment. "Took you long enough though," she added a bit more playful and smiled lightly.

William cast a glance around. "You seek a place like this? Interesting—"

"I didn't _seek_ it. It's rainy and windy outside and it was the only place nearby. What are you doing here anyway? I mean, at this early hour? You're not here to reap my soul, are you? Or maybe the priest's?"

She was certain she saw a very light hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth for a second. He shifted a bit and signaled her to get up. "No, I—now that you say it, I forgot the files on my desk. I should go back and get them before anyone notices—", he turned and froze as she grabbed his hand which was covered by a black leather glove.

"Don't go—not now," she whispered almost pleadingly and blushed lightly as he turned his head to watch her rather surprised. "You came to me now. There must be a reason."

"I came because I remembered what day it is today," he replied calmly and slowly pulled his hand away from hers. "Maybe it was a bad idea. I forgot my job about this. That should never happen."

„Oh forget your job for just one second!" she snapped and signaled her dogs to follow her outside. It was still raining, but at least the heavy wind had calmed down again. Why did he come if he didn't really cared? And why was she even thinking about him at all? Angrily she rubbed the tears from her face and nearly stumbled over her own feet. She already prepared to fall but was caught before she hit the muddy ground once more. William steadied her and stepped back.

„You never talked about it with anyone. Maybe it helps if you talk about it" he said calmly as they walked side by side through the rain until they stopped at her parent's grave again. She looked down at the marbled stone and sighed.

„You know what happened. It doesn't make any sense to tell you anything."

„I know what happened, but I don't know how you feel. What I know is that you swallow your sorrow for years now. That will tear your heart and soul apart. The process has already begun. I could see it. Your soul is broken."

She chuckled lightly. „That's very comforting, Mr. Reaper."

They fell silent again. „I think I don't want to talk about it right now. Do you like to accompany me back home? I promise, I will release you right after so you can continue with your job. I don't want to be the reason for you being unemployed."

William couldn't help but smile lightly. „Even though you own these two _vicious_ beasts you still need a reaper by your side?"

She giggled and together they left the graveyard and wandered along the street. „Well, Dino and Zeus can kill—and you can collect the soul."

„I do believe you have no idea how the reaper business works, am I correct?" he said and adjusted his glasses as they stopped in front of her building.

„I'm sorry, I never thought reaper are real. So, I have no knowledge, that's true. But if you decide to come back next time we can have some tea and you can explain it to me in detail. Deal?" she smiled at him, fluttering her eyelashes.

He cleared his throat and nodded. „Yes, that sounds—that sounds acceptable. Forgive me, but I really have to leave now."

„Where will we meet next time?"

William adjusted his glasses, his dark hair clung wet to his head. „Isn't that part of the _fun_? I will find you. But who knows when or where."

Emma chuckled and pinched his arm. „I didn't know you could be so playful and cheeky. Very well, thank you for accompanying me home. Until next time," she opened the door to the building and looked after him as he jumped up onto the nearby roof. She smiled and entered her apartment, unknowing that he had looked back as well.

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><p><strong>Wow, really I am so sorry that it took me so long to update this, but I had a massive writers block :-( I hope you like this chapter even though it is not very long.<strong>

**Stay tuned, because in the next chapter we will finally learn what happened to her parents and how she was involved in it. **

**Like always I'd love to hear what you think, so don't hesitate to leave a review :) **


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